Two New Alleged iPhone 5 Designs Appear on Chinese Supplier Site

Is this what the iPhone 5 will look like? We were sent a tip with a few images of what claim to be iPhone 5 mockups from a Chinese accessory producer, here’s the interesting part though: both pictures look like completely different phones. That could be related to the whole dual release iPhone 4S & iPhone 5 thing, or there could just be different hardware schematics flying around for accessory manufacturers to use, who knows.

The first image, shown above, is the most compelling, here’s why:

It shows an edge-to-edge display that is clearly larger than iPhone 4, just like the first WSJ rumors suggested

The camera and flash (or another camera?) appear on opposite edges of the back panel, again like old rumors

The design appears to be made out of aluminum, and both ends taper down, similar to the new MacBook Air design

Now for some aspects that don’t make much sense about this first picture; the weird port on the lower back of the case is completely unlike Apple but it’s shown in the mockup (note it’s not shown in the actual protective film hovering above it though, suggesting its just a mockup error), such a slim design would be hard to fit a headphone jack, charging port, and speakers into, and there have been no prior rumors that suggest both the top and bottom will be slimmer.

Now for the other supposed “iPhone 5”, which to me looks like some cross between the 9to5Mac’s spyshot, a few mockups, and the iPhone 3GS or iPhone 2G:

A few things worth noting about the picture:

The screen area also looks larger

There is clearly a front facing camera, unlike iPhone 3Gs and iPhone 2G

The home button looks like a capacitive touch based, and not a physical button, which some rumors suggested

Again for aspects that don’t make sense about this one; it looks an awful lot like iPhone 3G/2G, the tacky chrome border is back, and the weird line on the bottom is not something Apple would do.

Both pictures originate from Hui Tong (although one only remains on Alibaba), a Chinese manufacturer who creates protective film covers for iPhone and other mobile devices, so much like the leaked case designs that have floated around, they very well could have gained access to early iPhone 5 diagrams or schematics. Third party Chinese manufacturers do seem to be the source of many Apple leaks these days, but remember it’s just a mockup, so don’t take it too literally.

Finally, the other interesting part is that Hui Tong notes on their website the screen protector will become available “around September 2011”, which corresponds to when Apple is expected to announce iPhone 5 and iOS 5.

I could see them bumping the LCD size to 3.7 and being a little thinner, but I think the design of the iPhone4 is so classic and minimal, they are going to mostly stick with it. I love the aluminum band and the completely flat glass and feel like any significant modifications to the body will be a step back. Comparing the aesthetics with other phones, even the iPod touch, nothing comes close.

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